A mother who claimed she needed a £2.5m payout from the NHS over a botched operation has been jailed after photos surfaced of her at a hen party in Ibiza.

Lesley Elder, 50, claimed vaginal mesh implant surgery left her unable to work, walk or have sex with her husband.

She also said it led to the break-up of her marriage and left her battling depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

She demanded the seven-figure sum from the NHS - which awarded her £120,000 after the surgery was found to be have been unnecessary - but has been jailed for five months after her story of its consequences unravelled in court.

She claimed it made her a reclusive shadow of her former self but photos of her 'partying after midnight' at her daughter's hen do on the island appeared on Facebook.

She was found in contempt of court by Judge Karen Walden-Smith, who said it was an 'attempt to effectively defraud the NHS' out of more than £2m.

Miss Elder was sentenced in her absence after earlier being taken to hospital when she appeared to swallow a handful of pills in court.

Lesley Elder was photographed enjoying her daughter's hen party in Ibiza (above in straw hat) despite having asked the NHS for £2.5m because surgery had left her unable to walk

In one of the photos, in which she appears to be one of two women wearing a 'mother' sash, not only was Elder 'tagged' (circled, left ) but she herself Liked the photo (right of image)

She demanded the seven-figure sum from the NHS - which awarded her £120,000 after the surgery was found to be have been unnecessary - but has been jailed for five months after her story of its consequences unravelled in court

London's High Court heard that the mother-of-two, from Poole, Dorset, had the operation in 2010 in an attempt to cure a supposed issue concerning her urinary tract.

However, she had been wrongly diagnosed and the operation was 'contraindicated' and 'not necessary', the court heard.

The George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust admitted liability for putting her through the unnecessary surgery.

But it said her claim for more than £2.5m in damages was 'grossly exaggerated' - and a judge ultimately awarded her only £120,000.

In her claim, Miss Elder had said she was severely disabled by the operation, with severe and constant pain in her groin and leg.

Claiming she had not been able to go to the hen party in Ibiza, when she had in fact 'fully participated', was an 'outright attempt to mislead'.

'On the findings of Judge Hughes, she had been seeking to defraud the NHS out of damages in excess of £2m, to which she wasn't entitled,' she said.

She continued: 'It is quite plain in this case that the custody threshold is crossed.

'This was deliberate and persistent making of false statements for the purpose of falsely recovering significant monies from a publicly-funded body.'

She accepted that Miss Elder had strong mitigation, having suffered a genuine injury and being of previous good character.

But she continued: 'Taking into account all the matters before me and given the great seriousness of this contempt, I have come to the conclusion that the appropriate punishment in this case is one of immediate custody.

'It is not one which I can suspend. Therefore, the sentence of this court is one of immediate custody of five months.'

The hearing had earlier been delayed after Miss Elder was seen apparently swallowing a handful of tranquillisers in court.

But Judge Walden-Smith decided to go ahead in her absence.

She had told her psychiatrist that she might attempt an overdose in court, said the judge.

'She has taken a deliberate step in order to absent herself from this court,' she continued.

'It seems to me it is doing her no good in persistently having this matter put off, because at some stage it has to be dealt with.'

Miss Elder is likely to serve half of her five-month sentence in prison before release on licence.

'We are pleased that the seriousness of this case, has been recognised by the courts. NHS Resolution is committed to compensating genuine claimants fairly but this case highlights the likely consequences for anyone who tries to pursue a dishonest or exaggerated claim.'

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Jail for mother whose £2.5m NHS claim over op she said left her severely disabled was exposed